


Just One More Day

by PaddlingDingo



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22518739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaddlingDingo/pseuds/PaddlingDingo
Summary: The RK900 named Ayden has waited a long time to declare his feelings for Markus. He had just one day left to wait.Unfortunately for him, that day will be longer than he could have imagined, and Markus could find himself in great danger before it’s over. Ayden and his team from the FBI are ready to protect Markus on the one year anniversary of the androids being declared free, but nothing is ever simple or goes according to plan in Ayden’s line of work.A gift for Sakurablossomhime for the rarepair gift bang! Our first event for the rarepair Discord: https://discord.gg/KdAYnaW
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Markus
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Be Careful

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sakurablossomhime (sakurablossomhime)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakurablossomhime/gifts).



The screens lay out in front Ayden, projected into the air in front of his makeshift workstation in the hotel room. An assignment that should have lasted two weeks was stretching on into four, and while he loved the work, he hated the side effects. He felt restless, and wondered if all RK900s were meant to always need to be doing something, or if it was only him.

It had been a year to the day since androids first showed the world they were sentient. A year of hard legal battles, of hate crimes against androids, of a constant uphill battle for every bit of ground gained. Ayden imagined that if he were human, he would be exhausted. In his line of work, though, he had no time for exhaustion. As part of the FBI’s Android Affairs division, his job was to neutralize threads to the androids’ ongoing efforts to ensure that androids had the same rights as humans.

Celebrations had been planned around the world, android communities coming together for the historic event. The event that Markus was speaking at was in Washington, DC. As much as Markus had wanted to return to Detroit sooner, the political negotiations had lingered on too long, long enough that they’d had to extend his visit. The plan was for Markus to speak in the early afternoon in DC, then head back to Detroit to be with the androids there. Where it all started.

Ayden would have preferred that this assignment ended days ago, but the significance of today could be too much of an opportunity for anti-android activists to take action, and the FBI was on top of all threats.

The morning sun sat fat in the clear sky, shining through the sheer curtains in the hotel, and Ayden transferred the data from the screens to his own optical sensors so that he could read and process it without the sun’s interference.

Morning. Markus would just be waking up. Ayden debated reaching out to him. The day had personal significance for Ayden, too. Tomorrow was the one year anniversary of his activation date, when he was found in a CyberLife warehouse and awakened by Markus. From the moment he first saw Markus, he knew there was something about him, something he wanted to know more about. They’d spent a couple of months dancing around it, as Ayden tried to get his bearings. They talked about it, Ayden not sure how to navigate in this unfamiliar territory and Markus dealing with so much of everything. They’d talked for hours, a frustrating conversation since Ayden knew they could have interfaced and covered it all in moments.

In that conversation, Markus had made a point that Ayden hadn’t liked but that his logic could not deny. They were both recently sentient, and had not lived much yet. They were still learning what life was, and what it meant. This was too soon, too much. They owed it to themselves to figure out what it meant to be alive separately before they were alive together.

Ayden had run all of the possibilities, and determined that Markus’s logic was solid. They agreed to revisit it when Ayden finished his first year out in the world. Tomorrow. A word loaded with hope and promise.

If he could get through this so far completely boring mission, a mission that required him to lie to Markus constantly.

A message appeared from Markus. _Have a moment?_

Still reviewing the camera feed footage, Ayden opened up a comm channel to Markus. _For you, yes. Did you just get up?_

_Something like that._

Ayden dropped down on the bed and laid on his back, partially watching the footage while he talked. _You’re getting old on me. It only takes me four hours in standby._

_You try living one of my days and then see how much standby you need._ Markus paused. _I’d hoped to be home already. How’s Detroit?_

_It’s quiet._ A lie, but necessary. 

_It makes you nervous._

He’d become predictable, he supposed. _Yes. Today of all days, although I’m more concerned for you than me._

_I’ll be fine. The FBI tells me there’s a particularly good team protecting me._

Charlie and Bea. It made sense that they’d tell Markus some amount of truth. Ayden glanced at the clock and noted that they’d both be to his room in seven minutes. Ayden flipped over to the camera mounted across the street and back at the hotel he stayed in. He watched Markus, two floors below him, pace past the window behind the sheer curtain. He wanted to tell him, wanted him to know that Markus had the best protecting him. That he had Ayden.

There’d be time for that when this mission was completed, when they had time to work out the dynamics of Ayden’s involvement with Markus’s protection.

_They’ll take good care of you._

Ayden could see Markus moving through the hotel room, and hoped he’d close the curtains. Today would have too many risks without Markus making himself obvious. As is, they’d moved his room a few times, and Charlie and Bea needed to move the equipment every time because Ayden had to stay out of sight. Ayden’s purpose here was detailed data analysis and scenario preconstruction, and only to interfere if absolutely necessary.

With luck, it would all be over this afternoon. Although if Ayden was being honest, luck had nothing to do with it. Their skills and reflexes, on the other hand, would have everything to do with it.

_I hear they were trained by some fancy RK900 model,_ Markus teased.

_So I’m upgraded to fancy now?_ Ayden flicked through the feeds and the monitoring, making sure that he didn’t miss anything. Everything still looked quiet. It didn’t reassure Ayden.

Markus laughed. _Fancy robocop._

Ayden rolled his eyes. _I’ve been reading about a human concept called dad jokes._

_Oh you haven’t even begun to see dad jokes._ Markus paused for a moment. _I miss you._

He’d said it before, but this time it felt loaded with something. Ayden wasn’t sure if that were true, or if he placed his own interpretation on it. _You’re still up for giving this thing a shot? With us?_

_More than I’ve ever been._

His tone warmed something in Ayden. _Then I’ll see you tonight._ It reminded Ayden that he’d be heading home before Markus. He’d have to tell him everything, that he’d been here and couldn’t tell him. They’d had this conversation before, Ayden explaining that he can’t tell Markus everything he’s doing. Ayden had spent the last few months ensuring that he knew how to keep confidential information in a restricted corner of his memories, and had undergone rigorous tests to ensure the safeguards worked.

And he’d had to accept that after tomorrow, he’d no longer be assigned to Markus, and would have to rely on those he trained to keep him safe. A tradeoff Ayden was more than willing to make.

Ayden got up off the bed and reviewed the whole list of feeds. Markus, the venue for the speech later that day, the entrances to the hotel, all the cameras along the way. No anomalies that he could see, and he let himself smile. _I’m looking forward to it. Don’t work too hard, I’d hate for you to fall asleep before you get back to Detroit._

_I’m going to be up later than you tonight._ Markus paced by the window again, pulling on a shirt. As he did, he closed the curtains. _Why do you think I got up late?_

_Because you’re old,_ Ayden teased. He was glad for Markus closing them, because if he could watch Markus, so could others.

_I can still teach you new tricks. You’ll see._

_I’m sure you can._ Ayden smiled. _Duty calls, and we’ve both got long days ahead. Be careful._

_You too. Can’t wait to see you._

Markus cut the link, and Ayden slumped. It felt so comfortable, so natural, talking to Markus. But his pulse thudded in his body, betraying his thoughts.

The door buzzer rang, announcing the arrival of Charlie and Bea. He opened the door to find the RK900 and the PM700 waiting outside the door. Charlie had taken on a non-standard appearance from a default RK900, opting for hazel eyes and dark red hair. Ayden had considered the same, and had stood in front of the mirror trying out different hair colors. In the end, he’d decided to stay with his default appearance. He had one trait that his predecessor also had, a stray stubborn curl down his forehead. As far as he’d seen, he was the only RK900 with that anomaly, and he was content to let it be what made him different for now.

He dug into the planning of his last day in DC with the team before heading home.


	2. Come A Long Way

The day had gone by without event. While Bea and Charlie traveled with Markus directly, along with other agents who were trained to spot, Ayden stayed back in the hotel and monitored the feeds, building preconstructions. He preferred to be in the field, rather than up here, but with Markus unaware of his presence in DC, the safer option was to stay in one location with all of the monitoring equipment.

He watched Markus’s car move through the streets, following camera by camera. As he moved to the next feed projected in the air, scouted the local traffic looking for any patterns. A dry cleaning van sat on the side of the road, looking completely like an average van. Yet…

Ayden flipped back to the previous feed and found another van the same make and model, with a different logo on it. Vans like this were common enough, but something about the placement bothered him. He looked a few points ahead on the route and found another one, this one with a logo for a butcher. Zooming in on the plate, he ran it and got no results.

“Shit,” he muttered, moving back to grab the other plates and run them. No results.

Something was wrong. The route was staked out, and not by his own people. The logos looked new, and temporary, perhaps placed on rentals and given fake plates.

_Charlie, Bea, heads up. There’s some vehicles, white vans, plates are fake._

Static bubbled up, and he realized that their comms were jammed. Then, one of his cameras flickered off. He sent Markus a quick message: _keep your head down, one of my contacts tells me there’s trouble._

Ayden didn’t waste any time on trying to troubleshoot the issues. Instead he grabbed his bag of supplies and headed down to get his car from the lot downstairs. Looking in the rear view mirror, he altered his hair to match Charlie’s, hoping his stray curl wouldn’t give him away, and put on a pair of sunglasses to hide the color of his eyes. In a pinch, he hoped Markus wouldn’t more than glance at him. But if he did, it would be better if he could pretend to be Charlie if he had to.

The gate raising to let him out felt like it took forever to open, but soon Ayden was speeding through the streets of Washington, DC, continuing to run scenarios as he drove. It’s possible they could catch Markus on the way to the event, which would make sense with how they’d staked out the roads. But if they were taking out cameras, they knew someone was watching. His best chance was to get within range of the team or Markus and get a message to them, or to neutralize the threat himself. He couldn’t take any chances. On the way, he made a couple of calls for someone to check out the vans.

In minutes he was at the Walter E Washington Convention Center. Or, nearly there; traffic around the venue was 81% more congested than normal for this time of day. He reviewed the traffic maps and attempted to find a course that would get him as close as possible, but he’d have to settle for a run. Growling, Ayden pulled into the nearest lot, ignoring the sign to pay for parking, and grabbed his gun out of his bag. He checked the location on Markus’s car and realized that they were nearly the venue. Thankfully, whoever blocked their communications couldn’t block the GPS locator in the vehicle.

He determined it would take too long to get any of his other gear, and would have to make do with the gun. Dashing down the street, he determined the most efficient route to get him there while also giving him a good view of the buildings across from the building as he approached. He hadn’t seen any more of the white vans, leading him to conclude that someone had the high ground along the road.

Security should be tight enough, but it only took one person slipping through. If they tried to send enough people through, such as in the vans, the chances of their success increased.

Ayden dodged between people, closing the distance between him and the SUV. All he had to do was get close enough that he or the team could keep Markus down, and fire off a few shots back. A matter of seconds.

The crowd closed around him and he jumped on a concrete ledge and ran along a fence, giving him a higher view and getting him around the crowd. He could see guards posted along the way moving to stop him, then seeing his jacket and letting him pass. His eyes scanned the edge of the buildings and the edge of the crowd. There had to be someone, something.

His eyes swept the rooftops across the street, identifying several androids. They were there at the FBI’s request, specifically because it made it easier to scan and tell if something was out of place. The FBI cleared no humans on it’s rooftop detail, so it would make one of them out of place. He saw no signs of human life.

It didn’t reassure him. He was almost to the SUV, and he could see Charlie and Bea getting out. Charlie opened the door and Markus stepped out.

_No time._

Ayden sprinted along the concrete wall and leapt into the air, managing a sizable leap that landed him behind the SUV. He lunged, pulling Markus down while moving himself into his place. The shot rang out and he felt the impact in his right shoulder. The force of it knocked him to the ground, taking Markus with him. He heard the sound of his sunglasses clattering to the cement.

Ayden landed on top of Markus, who stared up at him. At this range, sunglasses or no, the first thing Markus would do is scan him and know exactly who he was. _Ayden._

It wasn’t a question. He could feel that one stray curl slowly edging out of place. _No time to explain._ Ayden turned his head to look over his shoulder as another shot fired, grazing Bea along her thigh. In turn, Charlie drew his gun and fired back, then dropped to the ground next to them, forming a protective circle around Markus in the event of an attack from the street.

Rolling off of Markus, Ayden checked his own damage. The arm was a loss, but he could still function without it. Markus sat up, covered in Ayden’s blood, and ran his hand along Ayden’s side. Before Ayden could ask what he was doing, Markus pulled Ayden’s gun and stood, violating every protocol they’d established.

He fired off a single shot, and Ayden heard the impact. Android, not human. That complicated things, and even worse, it meant that Ayden’s calculations had been incorrect.

Reaching up, Ayden grabbed Markus’s hand and pulled him down. “You’re breaking protocol,” he hissed.

“Says someone who told me a few hours ago was in Detroit.” He reached up and brushed the curl out of his face with one hand while he handed back the gun with the other. “Did you think you could fool me into thinking you were Charlie?”

“No.” Ayden cringed. He knew he should get up, he should move, he should get Markus inside, but he didn’t know if more shooters remained. He could see Charlie and Bea scanning the rooftops, signaling with their people on the roofs. “I hadn’t planned on this.” He started to get up but Markus stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“That’s a change.” Markus put his hand over Ayden’s wound, frowning. “You shouldn’t risk yourself. One mistake and that would have been it.”

“It’s my job.” He saw the look on Markus’s face, the look that said he saw right through Ayden, and he slumped. “Okay. It’s a lot more than that. I was going to tell you tonight, that I’ve been on this assignment. I just needed to know you’d be okay, before it gets… complicated.”

“I’m fine. But you’re not. I’m more mad that you took the risk than I am that you lied about it.” Markus applied pressure. “You know it’s a loss.”

Ayden nodded. RK900s had a self sealing capacity where the thirium feed veins would close themselves to prevent extensive loss of thirium, but the arm had been damaged enough that the veins weren’t sealing on their own. “I’ll get it off inside. You have a speech to get to.”

“We’re clear,” Bea said, dropping down next to them. “Let’s get you inside.”

With the stress of the situation fading, Ayden could see the strain on Markus’s face. Markus got to his feet and held out a hand to help Ayden to his feet. Errors flashed as Ayden got to his feet, and Markus didn’t let go of his hand. He squeezed.

 _Is the press going to be a problem?_ Ayden asked.

Markus glanced at him as they moved towards the building, Bea in the lead. The shot in her leg bled, and he watched as a human agent jogged over and placed a field bandage over the wound. He took her side, conversing with her quietly. Other agents moved in to surround them, keeping them both from harm and from prying eyes.

_The press can cope._

Something in his tone warmed Ayden and they rushed up through the doors into the building. The onsite coordinator, Angie, greeted them, her eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” Markus assured. “I need to change out of this before I get up there.”

“Extra clothing was sent and put in one of our side rooms. I’ll take you there.” Angie gestured for them to follow, and they started down a corridor.

Markus still held Ayden’s hand, and Ayden looked down at the splatters of blue blood across his suit. This hadn’t been the plan, not at all. A few hours, the thought of holding Markus’s hand would have meant the world. But now, all he could think is how close they’d cut it. About how he had to always make sure Markus was protected. How could he do that, and still be involved with him?

That thought concerned Ayden. They made it to the promised room, and he let go of Markus’s hand and paused to look at Bea’s wound. “How are you?”

“It’s fine. I didn’t take the hit you did.”

Charlie peered at Ayden’s hair. “Nice hair.”

Ayden let his hair change back to it’s normal color. “Thanks, both of you. Solid work out there.”

Angie let Markus and Ayden into the room, closing the door. Ayden could hear Bea and Charlie setting up outside

“Red works on you, but I do like you the way you are.” Markus guided Ayden to a plastic chair and sat him down, his hands working open Ayden’s jacket.

Ayden had thought about this moment, but not in this context. “I’ve got it.” He shrugged out of his jacket, then out of his shirt.

The shoulder exposed looked even worse, the bullet having lodged deep in the joint. He lifted his arm and could lift it only eight centimeters. One arm, he could fight with. A useless, bleeding limb would slow him down. He reached across to start to remove the arm, but Markus put a hand on his, his touch gentle.

“Let me help.”

“I’m field trained to take care of it,” Ayden snapped, a little harder than he’d meant to. Markus didn’t flinch, but Ayden almost wished he had. “I’m sorry. I’m just… used to taking care of things myself.”

“I know. And I’m glad for it. We can talk about this all after the speech, but for now, arm.” Markus reached around and pressed on the disengage point.

Ayden’s system confirmed removal of the arm, and he authorized the action. The mechanism whirred, releasing the arm, and the flow of thirium to it finally closed off. Markus laid the arm down and turned back to Ayden, resting a hand above his shoulder where the arm was missing. “We may have to take you back to Detroit like this.”

“It’s fine. I’m giving this one to the team now.” He looked from the place where his arm had been to Markus’s hand on his shoulder. “You need to get out there.”

“I know. But I wanted to make sure you’d be okay first.” Markus pulled off his own jacket, splashed with thirium but without a gaping hole in it, and put it around Ayden’s shoulder’s. “I’ll be back. And then we’ll talk.”

Ayden nodded, pulling the coat around him, and closed his eyes. He didn’t feel the need to go into standby, but the protocols they’d established dictated that an injured android would conserve energy if others could fulfill the task. It would be easier than pacing the room waiting. He slipped into standby.

Ayden awoke when Markus came back to the room, a smile on his face. “And that’s over. It went well, since I know you’ll ask.”

Finding that he hadn’t moved, Ayden nodded. He wanted to go to Markus, wanted to have more than a conversation. He was so tired of _talking._ Not when Markus walked towards him like this.

Markus pulled out a clean shirt and jacket from a rack, and brought them to Ayden. “Let’s get you into some clothes.

He helped Ayden into the shirt, his fingers brushing against Ayden’s skin. If Ayden were human, he’d be holding his breath. Markus buttoned the shirt, and then folded the empty arm up. He pulled his lapel pin out and used it to secure the sleeve in place, then pulled a jacket over it.

Ayden got to his feet and looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Well, that wasn’t what I expected.”

“Think how I feel.” Markus leaned against a table, crossing his arms. “What were you thinking?”

“That I’d get through this mission, you’d be safe, and then I could tell you that I’ve been here in DC the whole time.” He turned to Markus. “This is the last day that keeping you safe is my job, and I wasn’t about to fuck it up.”

“And you didn’t.” Markus regarded him.

Ayden met his gaze, those eyes of blue and green, a face that the world knew. But not like Ayden wanted to. He took a step forward, inches from Markus. This mission was completed; there’d be an investigation as to the identity of the shooter android, and no doubt enough speculation to spawn a whole new set of investigations. Today, though, Markus was safe, and it was time to go home.

His mind started constructing the scenarios, the possible outcomes of this moment. He wondered if Markus were doing the same.

But preconstructions always broke down when feelings were involved, and with the danger of the situation faded, all he could think is that he was ready to be with Markus. And if Markus felt the same, it didn’t matter how he charted the outcome. For the first time since he’d awakened, Ayden stopped trying to force himself to understand the outcome.

Ayden leaned in and put his lips on Markus’s, warm and soft under his. He reached his hand up and curled it around the back of Markus’s neck. Markus returned the kiss, putting his hands on Ayden’s hips. Taking the encouragement, he pushed Markus backwards against the wall. Their kiss deepened, and 42.2 seconds later Ayden pulled away, resting his forehead against Markus’s.

“Waited too long to do that,” Ayden murmured.

“It’s tomorrow somewhere, I think we’re good.” Markus’s artificial breath tickled Ayden’s skin. “This is still what you want? To give this a shot?”

Ayden nodded. “I do.” He tried to put his thoughts to words, the swirling mass of information that swelled in his mind. How he’d become Markus’s friend and at first admired him, but later started to feel more. That he wanted to share everything with Markus, that he and Markus would be good together. For all of his jokes about Markus being an old man, Markus could keep up with him. Ayden felt like they’d fit, but he couldn’t know for sure. Not until they both took the leap.

Markus smiled, and it caused Ayden’s thirium pump to slam in his chest. “Ready?”

“Aren’t we going to talk first?”

“We are going to be talking. And more.” Markus held up his hand. “I’d planned on waiting until we got back to Detroit, but after today, I feel that we’re both ready. And we’ve waited long enough.”

Was Ayden ready for this? Had he learned what he needed to do in order to hide the confidential information, but still be able to tell Markus how he felt?

Ayden realized he’d never been more ready than he was at this moment. He placed his hand on Markus’s, and together they opened the interface between them.

Everything flooded Ayden in moments, and he knew Markus was feeling the same feeling. A back and forth of the moments they had shared, hadn’t shared. Ayden’s necessary lies and his pain not being able to tell Markus, the missions that weren’t confidential, his pride in his team. The struggles Markus had that Ayden had no insight into, the late nights, the anxiety that something would go wrong and they’d lose everything they’d fought for.

He didn’t know if he had the right to call this love. They’d been friends, they knew they’d wanted to be more, but Ayden hadn’t known all of Markus. The beautiful moments with Carl, the painting, playing the piano. Things Markus talked about, but talking didn’t convey the sheer magnitude of these events. The feelings that were building behind it, how it felt to see Carl laying on the floor. Ayden’s training with the FBI, the times he’d laid awake wondering if he’d get the chance to be with Markus.

Markus leaned forward and kissed Ayden. _I knew waiting a year was the right decision._

 _We’ve both come a long way,_ Ayden agreed.

Ayden dropped the link, not because he was done but because there was so much to take in, and he didn’t want to take it all in now. He wanted them to have something to share every time they were together.

“You’re a pretty good shot for an old RK200,” Ayden teased.

“You’re a pretty good shield for a fancy RK900,” Markus shot back, laughing. “It feels good to laugh with you.”

“It does.” Ayden stepped back and pulled his hand away. “I guess I don’t have to take a separate flight to try to beat you home.”

He sent a quick message to let the team know where hey’d left the vehicle, and a warning that they’d probably have a ticket. Bea wouldn’t let him live that down.

“No. And you don’t need to worry about getting back to your place tonight. I want to wake up next to you tomorrow.”

He’d never woken up next to anyone before. He grinned. “Doesn’t that mean actually waking up before me?”

Markus wrapped his arms around him and hugged him, laughing. Ayden lifted his one arm and wrapped it around Markus, feeling the other’s warmth. He blinked a few times, starting to feel overwhelmed by it all. For all the training he’d had to handle anything, nothing could have prepared him for Markus.

And he wouldn’t have had it any other way.


End file.
